Employees from PT. Wanatiara Persada, a joint venture controlled by Jinchuan Group Co., Ltd., began to receive COVID-19 vaccines under the "spring sprout" program, on Aug 3, 2021, on the Obi Islands of Indonesia.
The program was introduced by the Chinese government to assist overseas Chinese nationals to receive Chinese or foreign vaccinations, demonstrating its concern for the health of Chinese citizens living and working abroad.
The Chinese embassy in Indonesia conducts the "spring sprout" program to help overseas Chinese nationals get vaccinated. [Photo provided to en.jnmc.com]
PT. Wanatiara Persada responded quickly and organized for the 346 Chinese employees who hadn't been vaccinated in 2020 to go to local inoculation sites. This was in response to it learning that the Chinese embassy in Indonesia had kicked off its "spring sprout" program.
So far, Indonesia has reported a daily increase of over 30,000 infections. The unstoppable wave of the coronavirus, especially the Delta variant, has caused panic among PT. Wanatiara Persada’s employees and has negatively affected their stability and production activities.
A Chinese employee of PT. Wanatiara Persada in Indonesia receives a COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation site. [Photo provided to en.jnmc.com]
The implementation of the "spring sprout" program has boosted the confidence of Chinese employees, helped them to better focus on their work, and laid a solid foundation for the firm to coordinate its efforts in pandemic response and business production.
Speaking during an interview, Shi Duowei, a physician at PT. Wanatiara Persada, said it was scheduled to have all Chinese nationals there injected with Sinopharm vaccines within a week. It is hoped that this will help achieve herd immunity on the islands and further enhance their confidence.
Shi called on them to strictly follow pandemic prevention and control measures enforced by the Chinese and Indonesian governments, as well as Jinchuan Group and PT. Wanatiara Persada, both before and after receiving their vaccinations.
Wang Yuxing, who hasn't returned home for almost two years, said that he was deeply grateful to Jinchuan Group and WP for their arrangement of the vaccination program.
Wu Yuxia, another of WP’s Chinese employees working in Indonesia, said that the injection of China's self-developed COVID-19 vaccines has helped her feel the strength of the motherland and the care of the firm, and has enhanced her determination to hold fast to the workplace.
